Claire Delacroix by The Moonstone Page B

her response before he drank of the brew. She took another swallow, purely to reassure him that it really did taste good, and felt a languor steal through her body.
    “You believe our hostess is one of the fey, merely because she is wrought small?”
    It was clear from his tone that Niall did not share her conviction.
    But then, he didn’t know the whole truth about this place.
    Viviane was more than happy to explain.
    “Oh, it could be,” she insisted. “After all, Paula believes in every manner of strange thing! Already she has spoken of great mysteries with authority, though I can’t even guess at what she means. Did you understand what she meant by calling Derek an Aries?”
    Niall shook his head slowly.
    “You see? She must be one of the initiates, to just casually refer to things beyond everyone’s understanding. And everyone here is an immortal of some kind or another - you can tell with just one glance, even when they don’t tell you so. Monty said he has known Barb forever, and he said it just as easily as that, as though there was nothing remarkable about it at all. I have met people who say that they’re eighty years of age!”
    Niall’s fair brows lifted in surprise and Viviane nodded. “Imagine! They say they’re eighty years young and then they laugh, which just goes to show what kind of expectations they have. I wonder whether they just start counting over at some point, though I really can’t imagine when that would be.” She frowned in thought. “Maybe when they arrive here. What do you think?”
    Niall’s expression was impassive. “I could not fathom a guess.”
    “No, well, neither could I, really.” Viviane smiled. “Of course, it’s because they’re immortal that they’re so different from us. And so incomprehensible.”
    She gulped her drink again and thought that maybe it was helping her to explain matters. “Although I don’t think that Paula has any malice towards us, not at all. She must be a good fairy. Not that I know very much about fairies, but my mother always talked about them and it seems to me that she said things like that about them, that there were good ones and bad ones, and the good ones would aid you and the bad ones would vex you. And that, of course, if you vexed a good one, well, then even they could act like bad ones, just to get even.”
    Niall chuckled beneath his breath and shook his head.
    “What?” Viviane demanded.
    He slanted a steady glance her way. “I do not believe that the fey exist.”
    “Shhh!” Viviane pressed her fingertips to his lips. Her heart skipped a beat when her fingers touched his flesh and their gazes met with sudden intensity. Viviane tried to chatter on as though she was unaffected, for her mother had always said it was unwise to let a man see his effect upon you.
    “Don’t even think such a thing! That’s the very worst thing you could possibly do. You don’t want to insult them! Who could tell how they might turn upon us, then. My mother used to tell stories of offended fairies that would keep one awake half the night, and play tricks upon mortals and all sorts of maliciousness. It’s only sensible, really, because even mortals can be malicious if they feel that they’ve been insulted or treated poorly.”
    Niall nodded, then took a cautious sip of Paula’s concoction. He rolled it around in his mouth as Viviane watched, then nodded as he swallowed. “’Tis not all bad.”
    She drank again as though to indicate her agreement. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Paula knew most of the other fey that are resident here...”
    “ Other fey?” Niall interjected.
    “Well, of course! There are hundreds if not thousands of fairies here, it’s so hard to keep track of them all, never mind the wizards and sorcerors. They don’t live alone!” She cast a stern glance to her companion. “Honestly, you have to use your wits here if you’re going to blend in.”
    Niall’s eyes narrowed and he leaned closer, his somber